Worldwide DENSIMET® alloys have for years been used successfully for protection against natural and artificial radiation.
Most common applications for these PLANSEE alloys are their use in radiation devices for therapie as well as for diagnosis: Shieldings protect from uncontrolled radiation leakage. Collimators guide, form and focus radiation. Containers made from DENSIMET® are very often used to protect Isotopes during transportation and storage.
Advantages of our DENSIMET® shieldings:
- High density
- High absorption of gamma and X- rays
- Good machinability
- Environmentally friendly
Finished products:
- Production according to customer drawings
Semi-finished products from stock:
- Rods up to 62 mm dia
- Plates up to max. 60 x 160 x 400 mm
- Larger dimensions upon request
Production from one source
We can provide complete quality verification, as the entire manufacturing process is covered in-house – starting with the powder to the production of the blanks up to machining and assembling. Thereby we can deliver complete collimators which are tested for quality and functionality, including driving motors, at any time. Until now, mainly X-ray procedures were used to determine tumors. In order to improve the diagnostic part of the treatment even further in the dynamic organism, medical device manufacturers are working on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Magnetic materials in the collimator may therefore no longer be used. In the meantime, PLANSEE has already far advanced the development of iron-free components for this application.
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DENSIMET®
PLANSEE patented DENSIMET®-alloys are heavy metals with a high tungsten content (> 90 %) and a NiFe or NiCu binder phase.
DENSIMET® alloys are characterized by their high density (similar to pure tungsten) combined with a better machinability compared to tungsten.
Questions?
For more information please contact Josef Langenwalder: josef.langenwalder@plansee.com
+49 (8862) 773-125.
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Multileaf collimators: Targeted Irradiation
Radiation therapy is now being applied to many tumor types and is continuously being further developed by medical device manufacturers. The basic idea of the technical implementation is always the same: The radiation needed is generated by a linear accelerator and shaped via a mask, so that the radiation precisely reaches the targeted tissue to be irradiated. Previously, these masks were simple lead forms. Later, the contour of the tumor was cut out from a lead plate – an individualized and therefore quite time-consuming and costly matter.
Millimeter accurate image
Since a few years now, the so-called multileaf collimators have been used as masks and continually developed further.
The location and dimension of the tumor is precisely determined by three-dimensional X-ray images. Each individual plate of the collimator is brought into position by a motor – up to 120 lamella present the shape of the tumor to a millimetre accuracy. Based on the threedimensional measurement of the tumor, high-dose radiation packages can now be sent to the tumor from different directions. The radiation source thereby rotates around the patient and can irradiate the tumor from all directions. In order to provide maximum protection to the surrounding healthy tissue and the patient, the computer knows at any time where each lamella is: With multiple sensors at the leaf tip and on the motor, the position of each leaf is constantly reviewed.
Greatest manufacturing competency
PLANSEE has supplied plate blanks to leading medical device manufactures for many years. The blanks can be easily processed further due to the material properties. However, with the increasing demands on the flexibility of the radiation equipment, PLANSEE has gradually changed into a development partner for medical equipment for the entire collimator. The reason: The absolute safety requested by the customer can only be guaranteed, if PLANSEE is involved in the development of the entire collimator.
Each leaf in the collimator has its individual shape and will be processed in three dimensions by 5-axis milling machines. This requires great manufacturing expertise. Each plate must also move in the collimator almost without any friction resistance. Here, the tightest machining tolerances are required, which PLANSEE documents in detailed measurement reports. In addition, the interaction of the plates must be accurate in the collimator: For some customers PLANSEE now also manufactures the housing of the collimator, with the most accurate guide rails where the plates slide.
